Johnson asks county to vote against NDAA

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By Kevin Dickinson

Siskiyou Daily News, Yreka, CA

By Kevin Dickinson

Posted Nov. 7, 2013 at 12:30 PM

By Kevin Dickinson

Posted Nov. 7, 2013 at 12:30 PM

Yreka

Dan Johnson, founder and national director of People Against the National Defense Authorization Act, visited Siskiyou County on Tuesday to discuss his national movement with the Yreka Tea Party Patriots and the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors.

Johnson spoke at the Tea Party's Nov. 5 meeting, detailing the problems his organization sees in the 2012 NDAA.

Chief among these are Sections 1021 and 1022, which allow for the armed forces to "detain covered persons" under "military custody" respectfully under Subtitle D – Counterterrorism.

Some of the grievances Johnson listed against these sections, and the NDAA as a whole, include their vague, ill-defined language, violations of the Constitution, the absurdity of fighting against a state of mind (i.e. terrorism), and similarities Johnson sees between the NDAA and historical documents nullifying civil liberties, such as the Reichstag Fire Decree.

"It'll be the younger generation who takes back this country because we'll have to live with it for the rest of our lives," Johnson told the crowd.

Likening the Authorization for Military Use of Force Against Terrorists as a loaded gun pointed at Afghanistan, Johnson said the NDAA was the same gun pointed at the United States.

Speaking to the board of supervisors, Johnson said, "As it became a larger and larger bill, (the NDAA) became a haystack that they started throwing needles into."

He said the possibility of citizens being detained "on mere suspicion instead of a proven accusation and conviction in court" as similar to the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.

He also argued that the requirement to detain a person in military custody and the expanding jurisdiction of military courts as "usurping the power of the local government, the local police and the local sheriff."

Johnson requested the board support a resolution that stated California would not become a "'battlefield' subject to the 'laws of war.'" According to Johnson, a similar resolution has been signed so far by three cities, including Albany, N.Y.

"What they've done is they've declared a limited martial law and suspended the First Amendment and other amendments," said Supervisor Marcia Armstrong.

While expressing her opposition to the NDAA sections, she added that she could not support the resolution in its current form, citing a lack of jurisdiction due to federal preemption, and suggested it return to them as a proclamation rather than a resolution of county policy.

Supervisors Michael Kobseff and Grace Bennett recommended the document go to county counsel to see what they can use from the resolution. They also expressed a desire for public comment.

Supervisor Ed Valenzuela said the presentation raised more questions than answers, and added he would need to study and revisit where his legislatures and constituents weighed in on the issue.

Page 2 of 2 - "Remember, you're coming to a poor rural county that is struggling to keep our head above water," Valenzuela said. "I have bigger issues than whether the federal government is going to come in and take over. We've got to figure out how to pay the bills and keep the lights on."